Hobbyhorse



Nov. 2, 1948. D. 1.. RICHARDS HOBBYHORSE Filed May 3, 1947 o m m m DONALD L RICHARDS any Patented Nov. 2, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

2,452,869 HOBBYHORSE Donald L. Richards, Portland,"reg. Application May 3, 1947, Serial No. 745,819

6 Claims. (Cl. 27252) This invention relates to a hobby toy, sometimes referred to as a hobby-horse and the two terms may be regarded as interchangeable. The mounting of such a toy determines the type of motion that the child mounted on the seat attains by lurching his body forward and backwards and the novelty of the structure disclosed herein resides in the structure of the mounting, with respect to its relation to the seat where a child will sit and the means for restraining the motion implicit in the type of mounting used, to produce a downward curvilinear movement terminating in an uplift and reaction. The reverse motion following is opposite to that when the child surges forward.

The object of the invention, therefore, is a body mounting that limits the body to a double surging curvilinear movement that in some respects partakes of the motion of a galloping horse.

A drawing accompanies and forms a part of this application in which the childs seat is made to indicate a horses body, which ornamental feature is usual but unimportant in considering the novelty of the invention as it can be of many other shapes without departing from the principle inherent in the combination of structural parts.

In the drawing, the figure, in perspective, shows a body I, a base 2, a conical helical spring 3 between'the body and the base with four spread chains, 4, 5, 6 and I limiting the action of the spring in lifting the body upwardly above the base. In depicting the best form of the invention, as required, the drawing indicates that the chains are all tight, that is, the spring is pre loaded before a child mounts the body, and sits in the seat 8, which is correct. For best results the preloading should be somewhat more than the weight of the child, which can easily be accomplished by adjustment of the chains or the spring, or both. No adjustment is shown as such things are well understood and not per se inventive.

As the weight of the child is applied to the seat, directly over the spring and with the chains to steady the body it is apparent that practically a state of balance exists, as the rider surges forward the chains 6 and 1, being already taut, the spring 3 must yield and the direction is downward until the force of the surge is overcome by the increasing tension in the spring, until as the force disappears as a cause of forward motion, the reaction of the spring is to lift, but owing to the angularity of the chains, it mustbe a loop. As the body reaches the limit imposed by chains 4 and 5, which up to the point recited have remained slack, the

rider after a few tries learns to give a backward surge when what happened the first time is reversed. As shown in the perspective the chains are sloped forward and downward also laterally, as they have to be to keep the body from tipping over sidewise and as the small rider becomes more proficient he will be able to combine a side roll with his forward and backward loops, and if the multitude are like the few who have tried it it should prove an advance in the hobby toy field.

Chains are preferred to straps or other holding means as being more rigid in tension and completely yielding in relaxation, also they have a slight tinkle in operation which seems not displeasing to the young fellow astride. Also, while the best as shown, the chains will work to perform their function if spread outwardly in both forward and lateral directions from the body to the base.

The operational principle of the invention is as follows: It is intended that the spring 3 will have an original, or precompression sufficient to sustain the child using the toy, without appreciable further yielding; the chains 4, 5, 6 and I being so placed, as shown, that they sustain the body I in the original position shown, with the child mounted on the saddle 8. It will also be apparent that lateral -motion in either direction, while possible in a limited sense, will be much less easy than the conventional rocking motion. When the rider surges forward, the motion must be down and forward and when he surges backwards it will be downward as well. Owing to the placement of the chains, a very much smaller lateral movement can be expected and that more of a roll than a surge.

Having described my invention, shown it in what is believed to be its best form and explained its principle to distinguish it from the known art; what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A hobby toy comprising a base, a compression spring in erect position normal to the median area of said base, a body having a seat portion mounted over the spring and restraining flexible holding means around the spring and secured to both the body and the base, in upwardly converging relationship to the said body with the spring in compression restrained by the holding means to restrain the body against movement in any direction without further compressing the spring.

2. A hobby toy comprising a base, a compression spring in erect position normal to the median area of said base, a body having a seat thereon mounted over the spring and at least four chains fastened to both the said body and the said base, 7

in tensioned spaced relationship, which, owing to correct spacing and tension hold the spring in compression, preventing the body from being moved in any direction without further compression of the spring.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the flexible holding means are attached to bound a larger area on the base than on the under side of the body.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the flexible holding means are slantingly arranged between the body and the base so that projections thereof will intersect above the seat which the chains are arranged to reach slantingly 4 upwards from the base to the body in directions extending towards a point of intersection above I the seat portion of the said body.

6. A hobby toy comprising a base; a compression spring in erect position normal to the median area of the base, a body having a seat thereon mounted upon and sustained by the spring, at least four flexible holding means fastened to both the said body and the said base in tensioned spaced relationship, the said holding means being convergingly upwardly slanted to hold the spring in compression, preventing it from being moved without further compression of the spring.

DONALD L. RICHARDS.

No references cited. 

